Andy Wright Pro Spotlight

Originally published in the TransWorld SNOWboarding 2014 Photo Annual, don’t miss an issue subscribe HERE, and on iPad HERE.

Andy Wright Pro Spotlight

First and foremost, Andy Wright is a snowboarder. He's also one of our sport's most accomplished and prolific photographers. Winning awards like the 2013 WSSF Pro Photographer Showdown, stacking magazine covers year after year, and regularly topping our own Photo Exposure-Meter are just side effects of his ongoing pursuit to document snowboarding and share his work with the world.

He's been with TransWorld for 11 years. His photography is not just key to making our magazine matter, it's capturing snowboard culture and preserving it as it evolves. From his decades-deep visual chronicle of the Salt Lake City street movement to his tight and tack-sharp submissions from the farthest corners of the globe, Andy's images speak directly to the snowboarder in all of us. That's because he's one of us. He sees the world through a rider's eyes and when it comes to shooting snowboarding, no degree from Brooks, SVA, or your local community college that can substitute for that.

If this isn't the first issue of TWS you've flipped through, you've likely felt the force his images often wield. In-your-face-action is Andy's specialty. Whether he's roaming the flat wastelands of the American Midwest hunting for street spots or hopping out of the heli onto an Alaskan face, Andy has the skills to bring back that A-plus action. He shoots with the world's best riders because like them, he's proven that he can produce in any environment and come home with hammers. For the record, Andy will hate that "hammer" reference because after all, he's not just a shredder and a photographer; he's also an artist. He is deep into what he does. It comes down to nuance and detail. Knowing it, living it, and loving it.

--Joel Muzzey

Next up this year at the Olympus Pro Photographer Showdown, Frode Sandbech is one of the finalists. In case your in Whistler / Blackcomb in the upcoming week, the showdown is April 17th, doors open at the Whistler Conference Center at 8pm.